Sometimes
Sometimes he remembers.
The soft padding of old bed with rusting springs in its mattress, covered by rough, yellowed sheets. Those aimless little talks they made during all these too long nights. A smile of steel held towards the shameless irony and joke. The washed and mended socks and the favourite book, he'd read so many times that he knows its plot by heart. Bitter taste in too dry mouth. Smell of stale beer and cigarettes' smoke, swamping the room and clinging to the pile of laundry. Swamping also his heart, making him surrender to memories and clumsy feelings.
Sometimes he forgets.
Previous life's tough journey. Loud and pointless quarrels, that lasted ten minutes, a day, a week and so. Sleepless nights spent watching him sleep after healing all deep wounds he'd got during one of the fights. Long hours of waiting for him to come home late at night. And even longer time spent in heart-piercing silence, drowning in self-guilt.
All the things he forgets with one smile of his.
Sometimes he wants it to come back. But it's gone.
And then he opens his eyes, sitting on the park bench. Unknown, but familiar face above him. Its owner stares at him and smiles a bit uncertain.
"Do I know you?" – a question in a recognisable tune of voice. That's when he decides to smile back at the stranger. A perfect and loving smile, making the man in front of him shudder with cheerful laugh.
He remembers. The past can be retrieved, renamed, rewritten...
"Let's go, shall we?"